White to move and checkmate in 4. No computer please 🙂
Zepler 1935, presented by Andreas
8/1p3K1p/8/5p2/2Q2P2/k1P4B/3R4/1q6 w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Checkmate tactic review
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1. Kf8! (so white can check with Ra2)
… Qb3 (so black King can capture the rook if white plays Ra2+ next)
2. Qc5+ Ka4
3. Ra2+ Qxa2
4. Qb4++
1.Bxf5Qa1
2.Be6Qb1
3.Ra2+Qxa2
4.Qxa2#
This is the longest string I could
find with Bxf5. All other moves
by black were giving faster mates.
My earlier `solution’ was wrong since the black Queen can take the bishop if Bxf6 with Qf6+
But there is a variation?
1. Bg2 Qa1 (cannot do anything else?0
2. Bd5 Qb1
3. Ra2+ Qxa2
4. Qxa2#
Just a guess, but they just need to play a waiting move, like Kf8.
Feels like you got to be a genius to get these puzzles. I’m not a genius.
Why not checkmate in two moves susan!!
1.Ra2+ Qxa2(forced) 2.Qb4# (So simple puzzle on Sunday!?)
Isn’t 1.ra2 qxa2 2.qb4# ?
Except 2. Qb4 is not legal, hardy har har!! The lady is pinned.
Look again, it’s not so simple…the pin is mightier than the attempted mate, LOL!!
Not so fast, Vishnu! 1. Ra2+?? Qxa2. Now 2. Qb4# is ILLEGAL because the Queen is PINNED!
Maybe this could do?
1. Ra2+?? Qxa2 fails because the queen is pinned. Therefore:
1. Bxf5!! Qxf5+ 2. Ke7! Qb1 3. Ra2+! Qxa2 4. Qb4#
If black checks with the queen instead of 2…Qb1, white just captures it and then mates with 4. Qb4.
Some other variants:
1…Qb2 2. Be6, and black has no defence against 3. Qa2+ Qxa2 4. Rxa2#
1…b5 2. Qc5+ b4 3. Qa5+ Kb3 4. Qxb4#, or 2…Ka4 3. Bc2+ Qxc2 4. Qb4#, or 3…Ka5 4. Qa7#
1. Kf8!. Best defense seems to be 1…Qb3, but 2. Qc5+ Ka4 3. Ra2+ Qa3 (or Q:a2) 4. Qb4#
Oops 1. Kf8 Qb2 and I can see no mate in 3 more.
My comment wasn’t approved or something ;(
I worked for so long on the problem 🙁
First I tried Qc5+
Qc5+ Kb3 Qb4#
Qc5+ Qb4 Qb4#
Qc5+ Ka4 Rd4+ Qb4 Qb4#
Qc5+ Ka4 Rd4+ Kb3 Rb4+ Ka3 or Ka2 Qa5#
..but now I’m out of ideas and stuck with mates in 5:
Qc5+ Ka4 Rd4+ Kb3 Qb5+ Kc2 Bf5+ Kc1
Rb1#
Qc5+ Ka4 Rd4+ Kb3 Rb4+ Kc2 Bf5+ Kc1
Rb1#
Qc5+ Ka4 Rd4+ Kb3 Qb4+ Kc2 Bxf5+ Kc1 Qc1#
Also interesting but still fails is:
Qc5+ Ka4 Ra2+ Qxa2 Qb4#
Qc5+ Ka4 Ra2+ Kb3 Qd5+ Kxc3 (fail)
Qc5+ Ka4 Ra2+ Kb3 Qc4+ Kxc4 (fail)
Qc5+ Ka4 Ra2+ Kb3 Ra3+ Kc2 (fail)
Qc5+ Ka4 Ra2+ Kb3 Qb4+ Kxa2 (fail)
So I switched to Kf6:
Kf6 Qb3 Qc5+ Ka4 Rd4+ Qb4 Qxb4#
Kf6 Qb3 Qc5+ Qb4 Qxb4#
Kf6 b5 or b6 Ra2+ Qxa2 Qb4#
Kf6 h5 or h6 Ra2+ Qxa2 Qb4#
Kf6 Qa1 Qb4#
Kf6 Qa2 Rxa2#
Kf6 Qc2 Rxc2 any, Ra2#
Kf6 Qc1/Qd1/Qe1/Qf1/Qg1/Qh1 Ra2#
Kf6 Qd3 Ra2#
Kf6 Qb4/Qb5/Qb6 Ra2#
Kf6 Qb2! Qc5+ Qb4 Qxb4#
Kf6 Qb2! Qc5+ Ka4 Rxb2 any Qb4#
Kf6 Qb2! Qc5+ Kb3 Qb4+ Ka2 Qxb2#
However Qb2 appears to be a serious problem:
Kf6 Qb2! Qc5+ Ka2! Qa5+ Kb3 Qb4+ Ka2 Qxb2# (mate in 5)
Kf6 Qb2! Qc5+ Ka2! Qa5+ Kb1 Rd1+ Kc2 Qa4+ Qb3 Bxf5+ Kxd1 Qxb3.. (fail)
Kf8 appears identical to Kf6.
Mate in 4 is just so hard to find.
Rd5 doesn’t seem to work due to b6 and also the escape squares it affords.
Let’s try Bg2, it’s similar to Kf6 or Kf8 except that the Ra2 sacrifice doesn’t work due to the pin. I have to worry about b5 and b6 now:
Bg2 b5 Qc5+ b4 Qa5+ Kb3 Qxb4#
Bg2 b5 Qc5+ Kb3 Qb4#
Bg2 b5 Qc5+ Ka4 Bd5! any Qa7#
Bg2 b6 Bd5! b5 Qb4+ Qxb4 Ra2#
Whew. Also:
Bg2 h5/h6 Bd5 with a mate in one next move regardless of what black plays.
Which leaves only queen moves, Qb2 and Qb3 are the only ones that work as shown below in similar positions.
Bg2 Qb3 Qc5+ Qb4 Qxb4#
Bg2 Qb3 Qc5+ Ka4 Rd4+ Qb4 Qxb4#
..and now for the final boss:
Bg2 Qb2 Qc5+ Qb4 Qxb4#
Bg2 Qb2 Qc5+ Ka4 Rxb2 any Qb4#
Bg2 Qb2 Qc5+ Ka2 (fail)
So Qc5+ doesn’t work..
Bg2 Qb2 Bd5! any_pawn_move Qa2+ Qxa2 Rxa2#
There are no king moves.
Bg2 Qb2 Bd5! Qxd2 Qb3#
All other queen moves and white manages the mate in 4 with Qa2!!!
I did not use computer or even a board!! This is the hardest problem I’ve ever solved in my entire life!!
@ kibitzer
1. Kf8 Qb2! Qc5+ Ka2
..and a mate takes more than 4 moves.
@ Anant
Both of what you said appears to be correct, as after Bxf5 Qxf5+ Ke7 black is mated in 2 moves regardless of what he plays.
Bg2 is also mate in 4, but there are plenty of tries for black.
@ Anonymous
Bxf5 appears to be the more elegant solution. Bg2 also works.
White would like to mate Black by 1. Ra2+ Qxa2 2. Qb4 mate but that is illegal due to the pin on the White queen.
That suggests that White might want to try moving her king on the first move, but any White king move doesn’t work because of the sneaky defense, 1. .. Qb2!
So, naturally, the first move MUST BE 1. Bxf5. Right?!? Right!!!
1. Bxf5
1. .. Qb2 doesn’t work now because of 2. Qc5+ followed by either:
(2. .. Ka2 3. Qa5+ Kb3 4. Be6#)
(2. .. Kb3 3. Qb4+ Ka2 4. Qa4#)
(2. .. Ka4 3. Rxb2 b5 4. Qb4#)
So Black will naturally will play 1. .. Qxf5+, but that is crushed by 2. Ke7!, which puts the White king on the right square to be able to deal with any Black queen checks that would threaten to delay the mate in 4 moves.
(2. .. Qg5+ 3. fxg5 and mate next move with 4. Ra2#
(2. .. Qd7+ 3. Kxd7 and mate next move with 4. Ra2#)
(2. .. Qc2!? 3. Rxc2 and mate next move with 4. Ra2#)
(2. .. Qe4+ 3. Qxe4 Kb3 4. Qb4#)
(2. .. Qc5+ 3. Qxc5+ Kb3 or Ka4 4. Qb4#)
Dear Lorfa,
After all your hard work, I am very sorry to have to point this out.
After 1. Bg2?? b5 2. Qc5+ Ka4 3. Bd5, white cannot checkmate in the required 4 moves due to 3. .. b4!
Tried the problem yesterday without success so the following is
not my work! Zepler won 1st prize for this in ‘Memorial Berger’ competition in 1935.
1. Bxf5! … 2. Bxb1 … 3. Qb4#
1… b5 2. Qc5+
2… b4 3. Bxb1 … 4. Qxb4#
2… Ka4 3. Bxb1 … 4. Qb4#
3… Ka5 4. Qa7#
1… Qb2 2. Qc5+
2… Ka4 3. Rxb2 … 4. Qb4#
2… Kb3 3. Qb4+ Ka2 4. Qa4#
2… Ka2 3. Qa5+ Kb3 4. Be6#
1… Qb3 2. Be6 … 3. Qxb3#
2… Qb1, Qb2 3. Qb4+ Qxb4 4. Ra2#
2… Qxc4 3. Bxc4 … 4. Ra2#
1… Qxf5+ 2. Ke7 … 3. Qb4#
2… Qe5+, Qg5+ 3. fxQ … 4. Qb4#
2… Qf6+, Qf7+, Qf8+, Qe6+, Qd7+ 3. KxQ … 4. Qb4#
2… Qc5+, Qe4+ 3. QxQ … 4. Qb4#
2… Qc2 3. RxQ … 4. Qb4, Qa2, Ra2#
2… Qb1 3. Ra2+ Qxa2 4. Qb4#
It’s awesome!
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I hope the following analysis is not only exhausting, but also exhaustive ☺
1. ♗xf5
│
├─1. … ♛a1 or ♛c1 or ♛d1 or ♛e1 or ♛f1 or ♛g1 or ♛h1 or ♛d3
│ 2. ♕b4#
│
├─1. … ♛a2
│ 2. ♕b4#
│
├─1. … ♛b4
│ 2. ♕xb4#
│
├─1. … ♛b5 or ♛b6 or ♛e4
│ 2. ♖a2#
│
├─1. … b6 or h6 or h5
│ 2. ♗xb1 anything
│ 3. ♖a2#
│
├─1. … ♛b3
│ 2. ♗e6, threatening
│ 3. ♕xb3#
│ │
│ ├─2. … ♛xc4
│ │ 3. ♗xc4 anything
│ │ 4. ♖a2#
│ │
│ ├─2. … ♛b2 or ♛c2 or ♛b1
│ │ 3. ♕a2+ ♛xa2
│ │ 4. ♖xa2#
│ │
│ └─2. … ♛b4 or ♛b5 or ♛b6 or ♛a2 or ♛d1
│ 3. ♕(x)a2#
│
├─1. … ♛b2
│ 2. ♗e6, threatening
│ 3. ♕a2+ ♛xa2
│ 4. ♖xa2#
│ │
│ ├─2. … ♛b3 or ♛a1 or ♛c1 or ♛xd2
│ │ 3. ♕(x)b3#
│ │
│ ├─2. … ♛xc3 or ♛b6 or ♛b5 or ♛b4 or ♛a2
│ │ 3. ♖(x)a2#
│ │
│ ├─2. … ♛c2
│ │ 3. ♕b4#
│ │
│ └─2. … ♛b1 or b6 or b5 or h6 or h5
│ 3. ♕a2+ ♛xa2
│ 4. ♖xa2#
│
├─1. … b5
│ 2. ♕c5+
│ │
│ ├─2. … ♛b4 or ♚b3
│ │ 3. ♕(x)b4#
│ │
│ └─2. … ♚a4
│ 3. ♗xb1, threatening
│ 4. ♕b4#
│ │
│ ├─ 3. … ♚a5
│ │ 4. ♖a2#
│ │
│ └─ 3. … ♚b3 or b4 or h6 or h5
│ 4. ♕(x)b4#
│
└─1. … ♛xf5+
2. ♔e7, threatening
3. ♕b4# or
3. ♖a2#
│
├─2. … h6 or h5 or b6 or b5 or ♛a5 or ♛b5 or ♛c5 or ♛d5 or ♛h5 or ♛c8 or ♛g4 or ♛h3 or ♛g6 or ♛d3
│ 3. ♖a2#
│
├─2. … ♛e5+ or ♛g5+ or ♛f4
│ 3. fx♛ anything
│ 4. ♖a2#
│
├─2. … ♛f8+ or ♛f7+ or ♛f6+ or ♛d7+ or ♛e6+
│ 3. ♔x♛ anything
│ 4. ♖a2#
│
├─2. … ♛b1 or ♛e4+
│ 3. ♗x♛ anything
│ 4. ♖a2#
│
└─2. … ♛c2
3. ♖xc2 anything
4. ♖a2#